The purpose of this paper is to point out the significant importance of entrepreneurship education
program in higher education in fostering entrepreneurial spirit of female students in higher educational
institutions by examining current trend, characteristics of male and female entrepreneurs, comparing and
contrasting the similarities and differences between the two and explaining what entrepreneurship is, who are the entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship traits. In order to point out the need of HEI on helping women realize their own strength, potentials, by provide them with knowledge and skills necessary as well as support them to take advantages of all possible resources to create jobs for themselves and for others. Lastly this paper also discusses the most commonly cited challenges for women entrepreneurs as well as suggestion and recommendation.
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Chia sẻ: Thục Anh | Ngày: 13/05/2022 | Lượt xem: 362 | Lượt tải: 0
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male students or aim to develop
self- efficacy among women students regardless the fact that females take a much larger proportion in
schools’ population in comparison to men and that characteristics of women are quite distinct from that of
men. Moreover, it seems that “entrepreneurship education and trainings conducted are dominated by male
role models” 1. Also, a vast majority of guest speakers are males and an overwhelming entrepreneurial
success stories feature businessmen rather than women.
In relation to ratio of female and male students, statistics of 2017 intake showed that female students
took 68, 59 % in the Vietnamese university and 75 % freshmen of 2018 are women. In the past, for example,
figures of year 2005 show the number of males passing entrance exam outnumbered that of females. Similar
situation happens in Rangsit University (Thailand) when 60 % freshmen of 2018 are women. Figures of
alumni in recent three years at two investigated universities showed quite contradictory results in terms
of genders as job-makers. Most of female alumni are in wage employment and the number of women
entrepreneurs is less than one forth that of men. Statistics concluded that male alumni were more active in
entrepreneurship than women.
In addition, researches have indicated that women in fact possess different entrepreneurial styles and
have different potentials in comparison to that of men. Additionally, they “learn differently from men and
1 Olena Bekh, (2014), Training For Women Entrepreneurs: An Imperative For Growth And Jobs, Policy
briefing, extracted from https://www.etf.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/inform-
issue-14-training-women-entrepreneurs-imperative
152 HỘI THẢO KHOA HỌC QUỐC TẾ KHỞI NGHIỆP ĐỔI MỚI SÁNG TẠO QUỐC GIA
value the increased level of sharing a relationship-building “1. Therefore, entrepreneurial learning have
to target different qualities in men and women so that women’s potentials can be fully explored without
having to take males ‘roles. From literature reviews, it seems that one of the reasons why the potential of
women has not been fully recognized, resulting in the lack of adequate investment from parties involved is
that females themselves are not aware of their own potential or do not know how to apply it to a business
activity. All trainings given do not differentiate different qualities in men and women engaged in business
activity and offer training in males’ way. Meanwhile, according to the survey conducted by IFC-GEM/
MPDF in Vietnam, women business owners are much more likely to value women-focused programming
than training and education programs that are open to all business owners.
4. SUGGESTIONS
It is undeniable that men and women need the same basic business training and support to develop
core skills and competences to be successful in entrepreneurial activity. However, in order to increase
women’s awareness about entrepreneurship and inspire them to engage into a near future of being job-
makers require more than simply offering general courses. It is apparent that the participation of women
as entrepreneurs not only can be useful in benefiting their households and national economies but also
affect the “entrepreneurial mind set of future generations who may come to consider self-employment as a
natural career option following the examples of their mothers” 2. Choice of being an entrepreneur requires
risk taking spirit and a vital degree of self-efficacy as well as a mix of knowledge, skills and attitudes base
of flexible and adaptable self- realization. However, currently, academic research indicates a lack of all
those factors among women. While women now appear to possess more higher education degrees, here is a
demand that entrepreneurial education at higher educational institutions have to fully equip them with both
foundation knowledge and skills essential for them to become job-creators graduates.
Relating to general entrepreneurship trainings to develop core skills and competences necessary to be
successful on entrepreneur activity delivered to both male and females students, because entrepreneurship
cover a wide variety of knowledge and skills and it is not only about learning the theories of business,
but also demands extensive exposure to personal practical experience3the application of an effective
pedagogical method by experienced and competent trainers is the first recommendation. Examination-
oriented courses with a lot of theories will not be very effective in nurturing students’ entrepreneurial
attitude or positively affect graduates’ tendency to be startups. Instead, a focus on developing qualities
like optimism, confidence, risk-taking propensity, self-efficacy and the like is likely to influence more.
Secondly, entrepreneurship knowledge such as business behavior, entrepreneur mind set, and entrepreneur
characteristics, planning business plan, management skills and the like should be delivered in close relation
to practical activities to enhance students’ tacit knowledge. Allowing opportunities for students to put
theories into practice is quite essential in motivating students. By planning their own business startup plan,
executing their proposed projects, making cut throat decisions, taking risks and responsibility, students
1 National Survey of Women Business Owners in Vietnam 2015
2 Olena Bekh, (2014), Training For Women Entrepreneurs: An Imperative For Growth And Jobs, Policy briefing,
extracted from https://www.etf.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/inform-issue-14-training-
women-entrepreneurs-imperative
3 Thomas M. Cooney, (2012), Entrepreneurship Skills for Growth-Orientated Businesses, OECD Report for the
Workshop on ‘Skills Development for SMEs and Entrepreneurship’, extracted from
cooney_entrepreneurship_skills_HGF.pdf
153 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE STARTUP AND INNOVATION NATION
can learn valuable tacit knowledge through experience and discovery1. Regardless of the outcome of their
project, students’ confidence level is surely boosted.
Concerning the need of specifically fostering female students’ entrepreneurial spirit in higher educational
institutions, it is advisable that the following suggestions should be noticed: First, it is necessary to offer
gender-specific trainings whose lecturers must be more sensitive and have profound understanding of female
entrepreneur characteristics and particular demands of women business owners so that they can address learners
more effectively in the most beneficial way for female students. In addition, course content should pay a particular
attention to women’s professional growth and skills issues. Gender-specific training “is not a reaction o perceived
or actual discrimination but is recognition of learning style differences and customer preferences”. 2
Second, either formal and informal entrepreneurial education or trainings should be gender sensitive
in the way that self- efficacy of female students can be fully developed and that female students can realize
their own potential and possibility in successfully being entrepreneurs. It is best if schools can provide
entrepreneurship trainings which pay special attention to boost female entrepreneurial potential and encourage
their engagement into setting and developing enterprises at the later stage of their careers. Such training should
be linked to the sensitization and awareness aspects with better introduction of female role models.
In addition, it is suggested that female students be put into available support systems provided by
business women networks and communities (who can be school’s alumni). Such kind of links between
the worlds of business with women successful stories would be best motivation for females. Additionally,
mentoring and coaching from the networks will have positive effects on business startup survival and on
confidence among female students.
Female entrepreneurship mentorship programs should be developed to provide female students with
all forms of support such as mentoring, coaching, counseling, or dissemination of information, etc.
4. CONCLUSION
The problem of the world today is seemingly no longer gender discrimination, at least in Vietnam and
Thailand where the number of female graduates are relatively higher than that of males and the ratio of
businesswomen is relatively high in the population. The issue now is how to help women realize their own
strength, potentials, provide them with knowledge and skills necessary as well as help them take advantages
of all possible resources to create jobs for themselves and for others.
The most commonly cited challenges for women entrepreneurs are the lack of entrepreneurial
education, training opportunities, business support systems, access to capital and access to network.
Higher educational institutions can have great impact on making female students ready to engage into
a future entrepreneurial life by offering them both more effective general entrepreneurship trainings and
practical gender- specific entrepreneurship education and trainings. Once female students are well prepared
for a future of entrepreneurship, they can successfully participate in business activities and hence help to
“transform the quality and structure of the workforce and the society as a whole” 3
1 A.V. Ewijk, (2016), Journal of entrepreneurship education owned and published by Jordan Whitney
Enterprises, Inc., PO Box 1032, Weaverville, NC 28787, USA.
2 National Survey of Women Business Owners in Vietnam 2015
3 Social Development Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(ESCAP) ( 2018), Fostering Women’s Entrepreneurship in ASEAN: Transforming Prospects, Transforming
Societies, United Nations Publication.
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